Mighty-mite Boykins erupts for 26 to key Saturday’s S&Ds

The NBA’s smallest player dominated his game Saturday night to help the NBA kick off the new calendar year.

Earl Boykins, the 5-foot-5, 133-pound guard for Milwaukee, torched Dallas for 26 points to help lead the Bucks to a 99-87 victory over Dallas.

Playing increasing minutes with the injury to Milwaukee starting point guard Brandon Jennings, Boykins came off the bench to singe the Mavericks’ leaky zone defense. It helped lead to the Mavericks’ third straight loss.

It marked Boykins fourth consecutive game with double-digit points. In the previous 16 games he had played this season, he had one double-digit game.

His shooting barrage against the Mavericks made him an easy choice to lead Saturday’s Studs and Duds from across the association.

STUDS

Milwaukee G Earl Boykins: Came off the bench to score a season-high 26 points in the Bucks’ 99-87 victory over Dallas.

New Jersey G Sasha Vujacic: Tied his career high with 22 points and also produced five rebounds and four assists in the Nets’ loss at Minnesota.

Cleveland F J.J. Hickson: Led the Cavaliers off the bench with 21 points and also added eight rebounds in their loss at Chicago.

Dallas G Jason Kidd: Had a strong all-around fantasy game with 14 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and six steals in Dallas’ loss to Milwaukee.

DUDS

Dallas G Jason Terry: Struggled through a miserable 3-for-15 shooting night, including 1-for-6 from 3-point range, two turnovers and seven points in the Mavericks’ loss at Milwaukee — their third straight loss. Terry is 6-for-31 (19.4 percent) from the field in his last two games.

Washington F Andray Blatche: Clanked through a 4-for-12 shooting night and was a team-worst minus-25 in the Wizards’ loss to New Orleans — their 16th loss in 19 games.

Cleveland G Anthony Parker: Converted only 3-for-14 from the field with seven points in the Cavaliers’ loss to Chicago.

Denver F Carmelo Anthony: Scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his first game back since his sister’s death, but shot only 6-for-22 from the field, missing 15 of his first 18 shots in Denver’s triumph over Sacramento. Anthony had his shot blocked four times and also had six turnovers.

Golden State F Vladimir Radmanovic: Was 2-for-7 from the field and was minus-10 in the Warriors’ loss at Miami.

New Jersey G Devin Harris: Struggled through a 3-for-13 shooting night, and was minus-14 with four turnovers in the Nets’ loss at Minnesota.

New Jersey’s third-quarter play: The Nets missed their first seven shots and had seven turnovers in the period, struggling through a 14-0 run at the start of the quarter against Minnesota. The Nets finished by scoring nine points in the quarter, shooing 4-for-17 (23.5 percent) from the field.

Oklahoma City F Kevin Durant: Matched his season low with 16 points in the Thunder’s loss at San Antonio.

Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook: Went 3-for-11 from the field and had six turnovers in Oklahoma City’s loss to the Spurs.

Utah C Al Jefferson: Struggled through a 3-for-12 shooting performance in the Jazz’s victory over Memphis.